Taking the Long Road
by wolfsea
Summary: Set in the Coming to Terms timeline.  Sakura visits Sasuke on his first night back after his forced return and tells him just what his leaving meant to those who were left behind. oneshot


Author's Notes: This is set in my "Coming to Terms" timeline, so basically Sasuke was captured by Naruto and returned to Konoha after killing Orochimaru. There will probably be a few oneshots in this universe and possibly a multi-chaptered fic if I can work up the will to write one. Reviews and constructive comments are always appreciated!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and make no profit from anything written here.

**Taking the Long Road**

Sakura had been staring out through the hospital room window for the better part of an hour. The moon hung full in the night sky, framed by the sharp white curtains of the window as its soft light fell over the bed in the center of the room. Her eyes had dark circles beneath them and she felt exhaustion seeping into her very bones. It wasn't everyday that your overenthusiastic teammate returned to the village dragging the unconscious form of your missing teammate with him. She felt that she had the right to be tired after that shock, especially after having to put said teammates back together again after they seemed to have done their best to kill each other, though she would admit that breaking Sasuke's nose in a small fit of rage when he was first able to speak to her hadn't been the best idea.

The moon cast light over the still figure in the bed, highlighting his dark hair and making him seem even paler than he usually was. Sasuke looked relaxed in sleep in a way that he never did while awake. He didn't really look younger, Sakura was unsure if he was capable of looking truly young anymore, but he was untroubled and peaceful. Padded restraints were locked around his wrists and ankles in an effort to prevent him from trying to escape, but Sakura knew that he could get out of them if he really wanted to. That's why there were three guards standing outside. It hurt some part of her to know that her team had fallen so far apart that one of them would need such strict supervision. That he had abandoned them so thoroughly that she wasn't sure if she would recognize whatever was going to wake up in that hospital bed as anything familiar. She didn't have Naruto's blind faith that if they tried hard enough, Sasuke would realize what was really important and stay with them. She had spent too much of her childhood trying to make him see _her_ and she knew that you could fight forever and still gain nothing. She only hoped that there was enough of the old Sasuke left to salvage some of what had been lost.

It took a second for her mind to register that he had woken and his dark eyes were staring at her, slightly confused from medication, but otherwise carefully blank. They stared at each other for a moment that seemed to stretch on endlessly until she finally found it in her to speak.

"How are you feeling?" she asked quietly.

He gave no reply, tensing slightly and causing the restraints on his wrists to pull taut for a moment before relaxing and turning his head to stare out the window.

She hadn't really expected a response and it was quiet between them for a time before she spoke again.

"I'm not sorry that I broke your nose this afternoon. There was a time that I wouldn't have dared do that and I'm really glad that I'm not that person anymore. She would have forgiven you for everything that's happened without a second thought because she couldn't see past what she wanted to be true," Sakura said steadily, "I had to watch Kakashi-sensei carry Naruto back into the village after your battle with him in the Valley of the End. I had never seen him fail before. We always said he was a lousy ninja, but somehow he never seemed to truly fail. I know he never thought he could before that fight."

She quieted and looked at him as he watched the moon. His face was expressionless in the dim light, but his eyes had tightened around the edges.

"It was so _hard_ to see him like that. I hadn't even really thought he was my friend before, but there he was _hurting_ because he hadn't been able to keep his promise to me and I think that's when I decided that I was done being the one left behind. I wasn't going to see Naruto's face like that again because I wasn't strong enough to go out and do things for myself," she said.

"Are you finished?" Sasuke questioned, interrupting her before she could speak again. His face was still turned away and remained expressionless, but his voice had taken on a sharp edge. On the surface it was familiar in that it was irritated and told her that he didn't care about what she had to say, but beneath that there was just a hint of warning.

"No," she said, "I'm not."

"I'm not sure I would have ever gotten stronger if you hadn't left. Maybe I should thank you, but Naruto and I have spent too much time trying to get you back for me to think that your absence was a good thing. We've spent so _much_ to get you back and now you're here and I bet all you can think about is leaving," Sakura said with a sigh.

He finally turned his head to look at her and caught her gaze with harsh black eyes, "There is nothing for me here. You want me to beg for forgiveness and become a team player again because you want everything to be the way it was. You want me to pretend that I care what happens to this village when it never gave me anything."

Her stare hardened at his words, "Sometimes I do wish things would be the way they were, but I know they won't be. I know that you'll keep hunting Itachi, even if it costs you your life. I know that Naruto will chase you every time you try and leave because he doesn't know how to give up. I know that I will go with him because no matter what you think, _you_ mean something to _us_ and I'm strong enough now to punch some sense into you if words won't work."

Sasuke's eyes widened and softened just slightly before he was turning away from her again and casting his face in the window's moonlight. She pulled the small chair in the corner of the room over to his bed and sat down, placing one of her hands over his own. His hand twitched, but the restraints prevented him from pulling away from her.

"I suppose what I really wanted to know was how you could walk away from us so easily. We were a _team_. We risked everything for each other, even if we spent all the moments in between arguing. I think we were the first family Naruto ever had and I would have given up anything for you. I guess I just never understood why it wasn't enough," Sakura said, her eyes still forceful, but her voice quiet.

His gaze shifted to his hands, which had fisted around the sheets. He sat still and quiet until Sakura decided it was time to let him rest and she rose to her feet. She pulled the sheet from his fist gently and smoothed it out before making sure the pillows were arranged comfortably because he wouldn't be able to fix them himself. He let her do it without so much as a word, keeping his dark gaze away from her own. She turned and was walking to the door when his voice halted her.

"It can't be enough," he said quietly, his rough voice softened by a slight tremble, "_It can't be_."

"We'll see," she replied, not looking back as she left.


End file.
